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OH! San Diego 2019Celebrating architecture, urban design & the built environment
One weekend. Free access. Iconic architecture. The doors are open for you to explore.

DOWNTOWN

The center of our City’s civic life, arts and cultural attractions, and a hub of economic activity, Downtown is a place to work and play hard. The Embarcadero connects the area to the waterfront, providing green spaces where the public enjoys the natural beauty of the bay. The revitalization of many historic buildings has created new residential, retail and commercial spaces.

An example of a typical home found in San Diego’s Little Italy during the 1920’s, this partially renovated craftsman-style home was recently transformed into Little Italy’s Italian American cultural and heritage center. Visitors learn about the history of Little Italy and participate in cultural programs and events in a convivial atmosphere – after all, “Amici” means “friends” in Italian. Exterior walking tour includes the Firehouse Museum, Our Lady of the Rosary and the piazza.

This historic 14-story building was originally the San Diego Athletic Club, which operated for over four decades as a social and athletic facility and was later converted to offices. When it was repurposed, the original architectural features of this Art Deco, ziggurat-styled building were retained. Today, it provides housing for the homeless. Several on-site agencies and support services, including a health clinic, are housed under one roof to meet the many needs of the residents.

26 AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS SAN DIEGO233 A Street, Suite 200Frank Stevenson, 1927

The offices of this professional organization are housed in this 14-story historic high-rise. An elegant neoclassical design, this reinforced concrete structure is clad in granite and brick with decorative façade details and a clearly defined base, middle and top. The interior features a marble lobby floor and staircase, and a restored coffered ceiling.

When it was built in 1958, the county’s public law library was a state-of-the-art resource for people needing legal assistance. Over 50 years later, the building was completely renovated to bring back its original clean sight lines and mid-century modern design aesthetic. The building boasts an iconic floating staircase, black Escondido granite facings, floor-to-ceiling west-facing windows, white Carrara marble floors, a buried peek-a-boo time capsule, and one-of-a-kind spaces including a permanent hand-painted labyrinth and a Hogwarts-inspired lounge.

This premium co-working space bridges the gap between a focused corporate environment and a modern space that inspires entrepreneurial creativity. The high volume space with bold graphic accents houses open plan desks, meeting rooms and lounges, designed to encourage interaction and collaboration.

Take an exterior tour of the buildings and public art of San Diego’s judicial system. The locations range from the historically-designated 1913 Jacob Weinberger U.S. Courthouse to the Richard Meier-designed James M. Carter and Judith N. Keep Courthouse, which opened in 2013. Its elegant 16-story white tower with an ultra-thin profile was designed to provide daylight to all interior spaces, including the courtrooms.

This new, award-winning high-rise community is uniquely designed to serve the broad spectrum of people needing affordable housing, from low income working families, seniors, and people who have experienced homelessness. Planned as an urban infill development, the LEED Silver property revitalizes a partial city block, vacant for nearly a decade. Atmosphere features 205 comfortable and functional homes within its 12 stories, all designed around an open central courtyard.

Harris Personal Injury Lawyers is located within the historic El Cortez Hotel. San Diego’s tallest building for 36 years, the Spanish Renaissance Revival-styled landmark once housed the world’s first exterior glass elevator, and the Starlight restaurant on the 12th floor with sweeping views of the city. Today, the building houses 85 residential condominiums along with commercial and office space. Inspired by the soaring 20-foot ceilings and ornamental architectural details, the design team created an open executive space for the law office to complement the building’s history and architecture while adding a modern flavor and warm working environment.

This home of the San Diego Symphony is regarded as one of the finest classical music venues on the West Coast. It was originally built as the Fox Theatre, an ornate Gothic Revival movie palace, complete with a 3,000 pipe organ. In the 1980’s the interior of the theatre was preserved and in a structural engineering feat, suspended a parking garage over it, but completely separated to ensure no sound or vibration disturbance.

The former Santa Fe Depot baggage building was repurposed to provide light– filled galleries and spaces suitable for large– scale installations. A three–story modern addition contrasts with the historic building, while taking architectural cues from the original materials. The vertical channel glass and rust–colored corrugated metal cladding recall the industrial, railroad origins.

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San Diego Architectural Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to education and promotion of outstanding architecture, planning and urban design throughout the San Diego region.